So You Want To Be A Giant Squid?

Happy Labor Day

Check out Labor Day Weekend 2008 by violatoroger and find out what this Holiday is all about!

Proof That The Poll Module Works!

I created a political polling lens on January 4, 2008 and now it's on fire! It's basically a series of polls about the Presidential Election, the issues and who people think is going to be the next President of the United States.

Lenses that utilize the Poll Module are easy and fun to set up. Here's some helpful tips:

• Have multiple choices for answers as opposed to just Yes or No.

• Ask creative and thought provoking questions.

• Keep your poll up-to-date, I just added a new Poll today about Sarah Palin and 40 people have already voted!

• Add a Duel Module to your Poll lens to take it a step further. People love to debate an issue.

So does the Poll Module work? Yes...

My lens 2008 Presidential Voting Poll is ranked #2 in News & Politics and #137 in overall lens ranking. As we get closer to the Election my traffic is increasing. So far 1753 people have voted on "Who do you think should be President in the 2008 Election?" for the Democratic Ticket and 1388 people have voted on the "Who do you think should be President in the 2008 Election?" for the Republican Ticket. 

To the left are my 7 day traffic stats. I am getting a ton of Google and Yahoo! traffic.

So what does this mean for you? Go create a polling lens and see if you can grab some traffic!

Here's some ideas:

Vote for the Best Restaurants in your City: create a poll for each kind of food. Italian, Mexican, Chinese and have people vote for their favorite restaurants. Try a SquidZipper!

Vote for the Best Games of 2008: Ask people to vote for their favorite video games, board games, Trivia Games. Add an Amazon Spotlight Module to showcase your vote.

You could also have people vote for their favorite: Zazzle or CafePress Shops, Squidoo Lenses, Movies, Music, Concerts, Laundry Detergent, Pets, T-Shirts, Bumper Stickers, Ice Cream, College Courses, Amusement Park, Social Networking Site, Jeans, Boots, Holiday...the possibilities are endless!

69 Days And Counting!

I was at the grocery store today and the Halloween Candy has officially hit the shelves. It seems like it just gets earlier and earlier every year. As much as I'd like summer to last a little bit longer there's no denying that Halloween is only 69 days away!

So what does that mean for you? Grab a bag of Candy Corn, dust off your Halloween Costume and get inspired to make some SquidBoo! lenses. Halloween lenses are not only popular but profitable too. Halloween is a Billion dollar industry and people love to decorate and dress up.

Need some more ideas? Check out some of these lenses on my Halloween Fun Group, scope out ebay auctions for some ideas, create a SquidZipper about the best Haunted Houses in your neighborhood, do a lens about your favorite Halloween candy, recipe or beverage. The ideas are endless!

Remember, these lenses count towards your 50 quality lenses that you need to make Giant Squid status on September 30th.

Use SquidWho To Build Your Family Tree

I am an avid Genealogist and with the help of my mom traced our family history back to the 1700's.

I blogged about this awhile ago on my personal blog but thought it was worth sharing again for potential Giants.

I am also on the Board of Directors of the my Alumnae Association and we have been looking for a way to put the school history online for awhile now. SquidWho is a Squidoo Co-Brand or Front Door that allows people to create a lens about a famous or not so famous people.

SquidoWho provides modules for you to enter your information and create a page. Now what makes SquidWho even better for Family Trees is that you can link each family member together. Here's How:

Create your first page. Mine was our Schools Founder Margaret Marsh St. John (Thanks to my mom for finding the data). I used the "Text List" Module to create a Lineage Line. Here I included her Grandparents and Parents. I used simple HTML to create a link to her Father Dr. Orson Swift St. John in the lineage. I also used the "Featured Lens" Module to link to his SquidWho page under "More about Orson Swift St. John, Father of Margaret St. John".

Then add things like photos, marriage (link to spouse), children & siblings (again link to each person) education and work. When your done you'll have a really cool online Family Tree that you can share with other people. With each page linking to other family members you'll never get lost!

Happy Halloween!

I actually shared this on the "Secret Giants Blog" (one of the perks for being a Giant Squid), but I also wanted to share it with the new folks!

Holiday's are HUGE here at Squidoo and a great time to start making holiday lenses in right now!

Yesterday I was at Babies ‘R Us and they had 3 racks of Halloween outfits out already, and it’s only July! The craft stores already have their fall supplies on the shelves and next month the Christmas trees are going to start showing up!

Here’s proof that Halloween lenses are HOT…last year I created a lens called Mildly Offensive Halloween Costumes on August, 18 and by early October it was getting 400-600 hits a day and it was a Top 100 lens.

Create lenses about Halloween parties, costumes, trick or treating, kids, traditions, pumpkins, Halloween candy, food, scary movies, haunted houses…the possibilities are endless! Just make sure you start soon.

And don’t forget, Squidoo has it’s own Halloween Co-Brand called SquidBoo!

Here are a few more lens ideas to get you revved up for some super Holiday sales this year!

• Create a Shopping Lens. They are fun, easy and profitable. Here’s a blog post I wrote: Creating a Squidoo shopping lens is fun and easy!
• Build a holiday tradition lens. All families have special traditions. Share your traditions with a lens. Include photos, favorite foods and special stories.
• Got a CafePress or Zazzle store? Showcase your holiday products: Here’s one I did for my Christmas Postage Stamps on Zazzle!
• People love holiday food! Showcase your favorite recipes and dishes. Use the Amazon Spotlight to include some cookbooks that you recommend.
• Party, Party, Party! Show off your party planning skills and then show them how it’s done Squidoo Style.
• Share your Holiday lenses with your friends, family, co-workers, baby sitter, neighbors.

These are just a few ideas to get you started! Remember now is the time to get these lenses published. This gives you enough time to get some traffic, ratings and rankings before the official start of the holiday season!

Giant Squids Are # 1

Having a #1 lens is an achievement you can be proud of on Squidoo! It takes a stellar lens to be #1 and these Lensmasters are right on target!

Here are the #1 lenses in each catagory as of today! I love statistics so here's a little trivia for you. 86% of these #1 lenses were made by Giant Squids. GO GIANTS!

 

Animals & Nature - Dog Medicine Side Effects by flowergardener

Arts & Literature - The(Street) Art of Stencil Graffiti by kab

Cars & Trucks - How to find and buy a cheap electric car by apeweek

Business - How to Write an Article that Powerfully Drives Traffic To Your Website by luckycharms

Computers, Gadgets & Tech - 49 Ideas For Awesome Lenses by Megan Casey

DIY & Hobbies - Mastering The Office Prank by kab

How-To & Education - Are you a Stay at Home Mom (or Dad) Interested in Earning a Monthly Income? by Janet21

Entertainment - Winnie the Pooh by Katiyana

Food & Cooking - Best Panini Sandwich Recipes by rms

Health & Medicine - Left Brain Right Brain Test by bruceeisner

Parenting & Kids - 50 Kids Birthday Party Themes: Cake & Cupcake Pictures, Ideas and Supplies by Janet21

Local - Russellville, Arkansas Home of the Wonder Boys and Cyclones by ThomasC

Movies & TV - Top Animated Children's Movies of 2007 by barkely

Music - Woodstock Music Festival 1969 by The_Health_Lady

New & Politics - Want Less Crime? Add More Guns! by pyle_mountain

People - Julia Nagy -- My Grandmother is My Namesake and My SUPERHERO! by JaguarJulie

Nonprofits & Volunteering  - Richland Recycling Center | Recycle Washington | Tri City Wa Waste Management | Paper Aluminum Computer and Plastic Recycling by SemperFidelis

SEO & Affiliate Marketing - Lensmaster Tools and Utilities by thefluffanutta

Shopping - Funky, Chic and Cool Laptop Bags by mynameiskate

Sports & Recreation - Beijing China 2008 Summer Olympics News - 08-08-08-08 - China Games by jeffryv

Travel - Shih Huang-Ti, First Emperor of China by SemperFidelis

Video Games - My Top Wii Games Review by thefluffanutta

It's JaguarJulie Day!

The SquidU Forum has Spoken and July 9th will now be know as JaguarJulie Day!

Not only did Julie win the SuperHero contest for today for her lens: Julia Nagy -- My Grandmother is My Namesake and My SUPERHERO! but it's also her birthday!

So stop on by some of Julie's lenses to Congratulate her and wish her a Happy Birthday. For all the new people here on Squidoo you won't go far without seeing a lens by  JaguarJulie. As a Giant Squid and Squid Angel with over 300 lenses she is one of Squidoo's most helpful, creative, generous, smart and stylish lensmaster's. She is a true inspiration and always willing to lend a helping hand!

What's funny is I actually have a hometown connection with Julie which just proves what a small world it is! Julie and I are from the same small Cleveland suburb, her family is Hungarian and my husband is Hungarian (Yes, I know what Hungarian Goulash is). Her grandmother also worked for 50 years at the West Side Market which is one of my favorite places in Cleveland to visit! So I kind of feel like Julie's long lost cousin!

So have a great day Julie and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Are you new to Squidoo? I want your Lensography!

Are you new to Squidoo? Are you interested in becoming a Giant Squid?

Creating a Lensography is one of the first steps toward earning Giant status. A Lensography is more then just a group of lenses. It tells your reader who you are and what you're all about. It's kind of like your Squidoo resume so to speak. You can build a your Lensography with as few a 5 lenses and then add to it each time you build a new lens!

Once you've got your Lensography e-mail me at bdkz100 @ live.com so that I can feature you on my lens: 50 Awesome Lensographies by Fresh Squids. I've got 12 spots available on my list so it's first come, first serve. Once you get your Giant Squid status your spot will open up for a Fresh Squid!

Also, stop by the So you want to be a Giant Squid? Group Headquarters and check out some more lenses on how to build a Lensography. There is a list of Lensographies that you can get some inspiration from too!

Already a Giant! Stop by and say "Hi" to these Fresh Squid who are creating some awesome new lenses. Before you know it they'll be joining you in the ranks of GIANT Squid!

Show me the GREEN!

A little while ago I created a lens called: 50 Ways You Can "Go Green" With The Giant Squids.

As promised I saved 15 spots for the new Giant Squids! So if you are a new Giant with a Green Earth friendly lens, e-mail me the URL at bdkz100 @ live.com and I'll add you to the list!

If I don't get enough "Green" Lenses this time around I'll add some from the next group of Giants. The next deadline for becoming a Giant Squid is September 30th! Do you almost have your 50 Quality lenses? Try building a few "Green" lenses to add to your Lensography!

Want to be even more socially conscious? Donate a portion of your lens proceeds to an environmentally aware charity! Visit 50 Ways You Can "Change The World" Using Squidoo! and pick your favorite Charity!

Win a SuperHero Badge From Comfortdoc!

Comfortdoc has done it again! Kirsti has always been one to build a charity lens faster then a speeding bullet and she's done this one in record time!

Her Squidoo SuperHero Project lens showcases lenses that were created for the SuperHero Project contest. Vote for your favorties on Kirsti's lens. The winners will get a cool badge that she designed herself!

Don't have a SuperHero lens yet? It's not too late. Click Here to join the fun...Hey, you could even win $500 for your favorite charity!